Aerospace engineers: pay and what the work involves

Occupation 2126 · Professional occupations

Aerospace engineers

Aerospace engineers research develop and design aircraft, spacecraft and their components.

How people enter it

Job holders in this unit group usually possess a degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant field. Qualified aircraft engineers need a licence issued by the Civil Aviation Authority or equivalent.

What the work involves

conceives and develops engineering designs from product ideas in aerospace engineering
organises and plans projects, arranges work schedules, carries out inspection work and plans maintenance control
analyses test data; undertakes research and advises on all aspects of aircraft, spacecraft and their systems
ensures that equipment, operation and maintenance comply with design specifications and safety standards
inspects completed aircraft maintenance work to certify that it meets standards and the aircraft is ready for operation

Also called

Aeronautical engineer (professional) · Aerospace engineer (professional) · Aircraft designer · Avionics engineer

What it pays

Measure	Hours	Basis	Period	Value	Source
2126 : Aerospace engineers	None	None	2026-03	37,500.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
2126 : Aerospace engineers	None	None	2026-03	39,200.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
2126 : Aerospace engineers	None	None	2026-03	40,100.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
2126 : Aerospace engineers	None	None	2026-03	1,600.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
2126 : Aerospace engineers	None	None	2026-03	1,000.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
2126 : Aerospace engineers	None	None	2026-03	41,700.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
2126 : Aerospace engineers	None	None	2026-03	1,700.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)

Every regional figure

ONS does not publish occupational pay below region. Cells the survey could not support are shown as withheld, with its reason — adding a region split to a specific occupation leaves roughly a tenth of cells publishable.

Region	Measure	Hours	Value	Period
East	2126 : Aerospace engineers	None	2,700.00	2026-03
East Midlands	2126 : Aerospace engineers	None	4,100.00	2026-03
London	2126 : Aerospace engineers	None	500.00	2026-03
North East	2126 : Aerospace engineers	None	800.00	2026-03
North West	2126 : Aerospace engineers	None	7,900.00	2026-03
Northern Ireland	2126 : Aerospace engineers	None	1,600.00	2026-03
Scotland	2126 : Aerospace engineers	None	1,000.00	2026-03
South East	2126 : Aerospace engineers	None	5,600.00	2026-03
South West	2126 : Aerospace engineers	None	9,600.00	2026-03
Wales	2126 : Aerospace engineers	None	1,700.00	2026-03
West Midlands	2126 : Aerospace engineers	None	3,100.00	2026-03
Yorkshire and The Humber	2126 : Aerospace engineers	None	3,200.00	2026-03

Common questions

Does pay for aerospace engineers vary by region?

ONS publishes regional pay for this occupation where the survey sample supports it — 12 of 12 cells on this page. The rest are withheld by ONS, and are shown as withheld with the reason, rather than left out.

Where do these pay figures come from?

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, published by the Office for National Statistics. Figures are shown exactly as ONS publishes them — we do not adjust, model or fill them in, and every number on this page carries the series and period it came from.

Classified alongside this

Civil engineers · Electrical engineers · Electronics engineers (professional) · Engineering professionals n.e.c. · Engineering project managers and project engineers · Mechanical engineers (professional) · Production and process engineers